Sunday, October 14, 2012

"Get up out of the saddle, double time, for all those times you wish you could be working out and you couldn't!" -things they yell at you in spin class.

So, I took my FIRST spin class this weekend, at Santa Cruz Power Fitness. I was expecting it to be super tough and literally exhausting, but it actually was not what I expected at all. Spin class just sounds super intense to me. I've walked by spin classes before and seen all those crazy people sweating bullets on their bikes for longer than I'm pretty sure I could even ride a bike down the street.

...But here's the thing, it's not like riding a bike down the street, it's like riding a stationary bike, because that's what your doing!

Also, I've said it before, but I'm not a big cardio person. I hate it and I usually have to kind of trick myself into doing it. I honestly really didn't think I would get that great of a full workout from spinning. I mean, I figured it would be just one really long cardio workout. But, it wasn't!

The Truth About Spinning
It's not so intense of cardio that you can't do it, believe it or not. Spining has its bursts of cardio, but also is a good muscle workout too! I am actually even mildly sore in my legs today from it, which is a big deal for me! I think riding a stationary bike for an hour, is way easier than people think, and especially with all the motivational stuff they yell at you in class, the music, and constantly changing what your doing on your bike, the time goes by pretty fast! By the end I could still breathe, my heart rate was up, but not TOO high, and I did get in some new muscle work. All in all, pretty good!

I'll definitely be going back for more.

If you haven't tried it, I highly recoomend that you at least give one spin class a shot to see what it's all about! It's well worth the time.

The one thing though, my butt was killing from the uncomfortable seat. Maybe try sitting on a towel? I don't know. Also, to be fair, I do have a rather large tush, so that tiny seat could barely accomodate me. If yout hinny is tiny, it may be a whole nother story.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Seriously, Have you ever seen a fat hippy? That's enough to convince me that cleansing and detoxifying are legitimately important.

When you're body is full of junk and stress you just can't lose weight and workout is hopeless. Keeping your mind and soul healthy, are important factors for maintaining a healthy body. I honestly don't know why but it's definitely true for me. I've done juice cleanses from time to time, and used epsome salts, and acupunture, as well as had some cupping done to remove toxins and stress from my body. All of which I love and believe keeps my body working smoothly. Also, btw, you can't overlook the importance of getting regular or semi regular massages! It's a good detoxifier, but it is seriously dehyrating, and time consuming. :-/

The most important things with detox are that you make sure you are not over doing it, and that you are staying hydrated!!!

Anyways, I was searching the internet for a detoxifying bath recipe (since I've been serously stressed out, and I haven't been able to workout all week since I was in a car accident last week where I'm pretty sure I suffered some form of whip lash because I've been achy all over! Ugh!) when I stumbled on this little gem I just HAD to share...

DETOX:
Holy Moly... I generally don't believe in quick fixes, but I stumbled on this and I just had to share it. Disclaimer: I've never tried it. But I just had to post it, because I just know I'm gonna want to find this one again in a pinch!

"wrap recipe from the Six Senses Spa at the Evanson Hua Hun:"

INGREDIENTS (Adjust quantities according to
your body size)

1 oz (20 gms) ginger

3 oz (80 gms) turmeric

Handful of rice

Warm water as required

METHOD

1. Grind together the ginger and turmeric.
2. Powder the rice to a coarse, grainy texture.
3. Add everything to the warm water and mix till it makes a thick
paste.
4. Massage the paste all over your body in circular motions, paying
special attention to areas with fatty deposits such as thighs, stomach, hips and
upper arms.5.Leave the paste on for 20 minutes* and then rinse off with warm
water. Follow with a moisturiser of your choice.

* You can increase the recipe’s potency by wrapping your body (or at
least the problem areas) in plastic sheet or strips of cloth.

How she says it works?
By stimulating circulation and reducing
water retention. Kinda the same way that accupuncture for weightloss works I guess (which, by the way, is awesome if you have problem areas, and the results will likely be much more long lasting than any body wrap)!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Let's face it, you're an alcoholic, but it doesn't mean you need to wear a beer belly around.

I'm a girl who likes to drink. I work in field where alcoholism is the norm, and half of the rules governing the profession are on how to deal with such problems. I'm not an alcoholic by any means, but I enjoy a drink, and what I do not enjoy is the high caloric intake of fluids. I like to get my calories in my food, not what I drink. I'm not drink-orexic, what I call girls who literally consume all of their calories in alcohol and call it not being anorexic.

GROSS.

I'm also not fat

ALSO ... GROSS.

I enjoy an espresso martini from time to time, I'll admit, just as I enjoy a diet coke from time to time. But I try to never drink anything over a hundred calories, unless it's from my home juicer ;)

While we are on the subject of juicing, I love to use my juicer to make bloody mary's, sangria, and margaritas. I don't feel bad about the calories at all.

Basically, my rules are the following:

drink it straight, or mixed with soda water or water with a squeeze of citrus.

if i get drunk durring the week, i do twice as much cardio on the weekend.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." -Mahatma GandhiFinding motivation to get up and workout can be soooo rough. I try to tell myself that even on a lazy day, I can do something. When I'm at my breaking point, I remind myself that every second makes my body better. It works for me. Finding inspiration is key.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

"Cinderella, dressed in 'yella, went upstairs to kiss a fella..." Come on, don't act like you don't know this one.You will hear me say it time, and time again! I'm in love with jump roping! There is nothing better for you than jumping rope! I'm obsessed with it! It's fun, and it really is a great workout. Jumping rope is a FULL BODY workout, and nothing burns more calories for a longer duration of time! Studies show that jumping rope for just two minutes can boost your metabolism for the whole day!The act of jumping rope will only burn about the same amount of calories as, say, taking a run, for example. So, at first, it's hard to understand why everyone is so into it. BUT, the key to the jump rope secret is that it can increase your metabolism and work every muscle in your body.

...Literally, every muscle in your whole body is activated while jumping rope!!

My secret-

Since jumping rope is really tiring, and cardio is really not my strength, I like to work it in between weight circuit sets which helps to maximize it's impact and because i need a breather to recover (Honestly, I could probably jump rope for a about 5 minutes before I'd just pass out)!This works like a tabata workout, or a high-lo workout. intervaling intense cardio with weight training maximizes calorie burn.Also, John Basedow does it, maybe.I've heard, from a reliable source, that John Basedow goes to the gym and can be seen there just jumping rope for hours. Seriously, that might be true.

Friday, September 28, 2012

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein

I can't tell you how annoyed I get when hear my friends complain about how great their workout used to be, but it stopped working for them, because they are getting older. Or, how they have been a swimmer all their life, and it's the best workout, so they don't do anything else, but they've put on 10 pounds.

That's B.S!!

Honestly, the reason why workouts stop making such dramatic impact ismuscle memory. Your body will always automatically modify itself to find the easiest way for it to perform a given movement. It's genetic! It's part of what makes human's so adaptive and efficient as a species! But, it also works against you when you work out. This is why it's so important to vary your workout, and change what you are doing constantly. This doesn't mean you have to suddenly take up thai boxing or rock climbing to keep your body on it's toes (though, those are both great activities which I encourage you to try if you have not).By adding weight to a movement, you make it harder. By adding variation to a movement, you make it EVEN HARDER. Adding weight to a workout it the BEST way to maximize it's impact, even if it's just 5 pounds. It can make a beginner movement advanced, and it can help you add variation of movements to your routine!If you do yoga, VARY YOUR PRACTICE! take twists where you haven't, try flipping the dog, work in a new balancing pose. It's the same concept for any workout you do.My Problem Area: Lower Ab'sThe place where I have found the most difficult to get that after workout burn no matter how hard I push myself, is in my ab workout (and believe me when I say, I have no 6 pack abs). I do it all! I've tried everything! I do every kid of ab workout under the sun, 7 days a week, and I still found myself developing that lower belly pooch which we all complain about. I admit that I want to complain that it's because I'm getting older but I refuse to accept that. I finally found the best and most consistent results when I strap on a extra 5 pound of ankle weights, incorporate a medicine ball twist here and there in my routine, and mix up my routines regularly. I feel the burn, I see results, and so will you!Bellow are some links with great movements that you should try incorporating into your workouts, if it's too easy for you and you're not feeling the burn- AD SOME WEIGHT or VARY IT or BOTH!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Let's be honest, based on what you pin on pinterest, are you more a deep fried cheese bread kind of person or the light tabouli chicken salad type?

It seems that it's so much easier to eat poorly these days and leave it up to your workout to burn it off. But eating healthy doesn't have to be a chore, and working out doesn't have to be a solution to your poor eating habits. Similarly, there will always be a great excuse to skip the gym, or to open up a box of mac and cheese for dinner. It’s the kids favorite meal anyways, right? But the harsh reality that you must remember is that someone out there IS busier than you and they ARE making the time to eat healthy and work out! In law school, I would spend crazy hours in the school library and work long hours late into every night of the week, but I managed to make time to stay healthy! I made the time because I couldn't afford not to be healthy and neither can you!

No time to work out? On study breaks, or even during commercial breaks from a tv show, try doing various workouts durring each commercial. I like to hold a body plank for the duration of one commercial, then switch it up! Do sit ups for the next, and jumping jacks for the next! Everyone has time for this one! It only takes 3 minutes or so.